


Of Frontiers And Sanctuaries

by Artistic_Witch



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, IN SPACE!, Space Pirates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2020-07-24
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:20:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25246048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Artistic_Witch/pseuds/Artistic_Witch
Summary: Post-series! In which Entrapta invites Hordak to run away with her to space! Temperamental tentacle monsters are the least of their worries in a universe filled with space!pirates, misguided misanthropic warlords, rebellious space!punk rockers, and bad sushi. Will Entrapta ever figure out How To Do Feelings? Will Hordak ever figure out how to be a Decent Person not set on taking over planets? Will there be a happily ever after for these two awkward turtles? Find out on this episode of ENTRAPTA IN SPAAAaaaaaCE!
Relationships: Entrapta/Hordak (She-Ra)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 31





	1. In Which There Is A Proposal

“Wanna go to space with me?”

She doesn’t mean to ask it. It just comes out of her mouth one day without warning, a burst of inspiration that pops out like an excited bird, fluttering between them with wild abandon. Her mother always said that Entrapta’s foot was permanently in her mouth. Entrapta never quite understood the idiom, but she is all too aware of how her brain and mouth have a bit of a rocky relationship. One is always trying to usurp the other.

It’s another late night in the Castle. They hardly ever sleep and when they do it is only out of sheer necessity. She and Hordak prefer to spend their waking hours pouring over experiments and tests, trying this and tweaking that, breaking only for the sort of bodily compulsions for which Entrapta has (other than food) the lowest regard. Most nights she collapses into the cot in the corner of her workshop. Sometimes she slumps onto the work table and awakens hours later with a crick in her neck. Once she woke at the desk to find a scratchy wool blanket over her shoulders and a small cup of tea cooling next to her. Her lab partner is good about remembering these things.

They’ve been at the Castle for a couple weeks now. Before that they’d spent a few very awkward nights in the woods near Brightmoon trying to avoid everyone's antagonistic glares. It seemed that no one besides Entrapta was happy to have Hordak back. For his sake she tried not to mind but it bothered her more than she cared to admit. The others hadn’t been too keen to let him out of their sights but Entrapta convinced them that some time in Dryl would be good for everyone. She and Hordak could have their experiments and everyone else could have time to get used to the idea of Hordak as her lab partner.

He isn’t the same person she remembers. He’s never been chatty but now he is positively aloof. Facial expressions have always given her pause - she struggles with nuance and sarcasm - but in the past she’d usually been able to tell what he was thinking. Now he has this strange, distant look in his eyes (now green; he hates this). It worries her.

Their return to Dryl was a restorative one. It took her a week to build him a new suit (with his input, of course). It’s different from his old suit but Entrapta thinks it’s much better. The metal is smooth, line and streamlined. It protects him and contours to his body, giving him strength and dexterity. The colors are darker, black and metallic silver with slashes of violet (because she can admit she’s a little narcissistic, after all). The magenta crystal from her first suit she puts at his neck; she smiles when it catches the light. He thanks her in his own indirect way, running a hand down the metal on his arms, watching it glitter in the light. 

Late one night they are both at work. Entrapta, as she has always done, narrates her process in a steady stream, muttering into the recorder. Hordak, as usual, is quiet. Sometimes he lets out a frustrated sigh, tosses something aside, and begins again. He doesn’t get angry like he used to, back when they first came to know each other. It's better that he does not rage and fight. But she doesn’t like that the anger has been replaced with something cold and quiet.

She’s thinking about the future. She’s been thinking about this a lot lately. The Princesses have their own hopes and goals, but their dreams aren’t hers. They want to spread peace, friendship, prosperity - all good things. But those are not the driving force for Entrapta. Never have been.

It’s the stars. Ever since she went off planet with Bow and Adora they have plagued her thoughts. There were so many, many places they did not go and she wants to see them all. There is an infinite universe out there that she is only just beginning to understand. What is Etheria to her, really? Dryl is her home by birthright but she has never understood the meaning of home, not the way other people always describe it. Dryl and the Castle are the places with her things, her servants, and her experiments. But they are ephemeral things that feel more and more unnecessary. 

“Wanna go to space with me?”

It just tumbles out. For a moment she isn’t even aware she’s said anything at all until she looks over and he’s staring at her. His eyes narrow in confusion.

Entrapta flushes. “I - I mean - I’ve been thinking a lot about it and it just kinda makes _sense_ , you know. There's this BIG UNIVERSE out there and I’d really like to see it - with you - because you’re my lab partner and it wouldn’t make sense for me to go alone. I mean, I _could_ do that, but I could also go with someone I trust - and you know all these things about space and you could probably make sure I don't die - not that you're, you know, my bodyguard! You’re an independent scientist and maybe you're just happy working alone. And that's okay! I just thought that maybe you’d like to have someone else to bounce ideas off of, and-”

Her hair has a mind of its own and it presses a lock over her mouth. Entrapta laughs nervously. “Anyway, you don’t have to do it, I just thought it might be fun…”

“I’ll go.” He focuses on his project, welding a small metal plate to a handheld device.

Entrapta blinks. “Huh?” 

“I will travel with you,” he says. The welder sparks and the light glints off his liquid black armor.

Entrapta could float. In a way she does, as her hair skips her over without her feet touching ground. She wraps her arms around his neck with a delighted shriek. He grunts as half of his work materials tumble off the table. Perhaps she should feel bad but she can't possibly feel anything other than pure glee.

“REALLY? Really-really?”

“Not if you keep destroying my work,” he mutters, pushing her hair out of his face.

She leaps back, admonished, and hurries to pick everything up. He reaches out to catch her hand, stilling her. There is a slight smile on his face. Good! Good. She would do anything to make sure he doesn't change his mind.

“It’s all right.” He sets his tools gently on the table. “I will go with you. I would… like that very much.”

Her grin is wide enough to split her face. She is so warm she could roast a whole bushel of marshmallows inside her chest. She wonders if Hordak has ever roasted a marshmallow. Probably not - what with the whole being a clone, then a general, then a tyrant, then a clone again - and then something new and different. Probably not a lot of time for fun in all that.

“It's gonna be AMAZING, you just wait! I saw _so many stars_ when I was out there. I bet there's a ton of planets that Prime didn’t get to. There’s gotta be places like Etheria that sneaked under the radar. Oh, Hordak, I had an idea when I was out there, about crystal energy, and it might be a little dangerous, but -” She launches into a long-winded explanation that he listens to attentively, chin resting on his knuckles. She swirls around the workshop with renewed energy, gesticulating wildly. His eyes follow her. He does not interrupt her except to clarify a tangent of thought as she bounces from one idea to the next. Unlike so many people her excitement never seems to bother him. Hordak has never asked her to apologize for the way she is.

And the whole time she thinks: I’m going to be an explorer in space! And Hordak is coming with me!

It’s the happiest she’s been since she got him back.


	2. In Which There Are Many Tearful Goodbyes and One Awkward Conversation

It’s easier to leave than he would have thought.

They find a ship, not too big, not too small, and Hordak likes the way it feels when he sits at the helm, like it is just waiting for his word and it will shoot away like a supernova. Entrapta packs far more gear and contraptions into the ship than he thinks strictly necessary, but he has always liked to indulge her passions. She claims a room for herself and another one for Emily, because the rooms on this ship are really only big enough for two people if they squeeze. Neither of them are bothered by the small accommodations. 

Hordak is plagued in sleep by strange visions that he comes to learn are dreams. He has never dreamed before but after the second time separated from the Horde, they come to him in the form of white and green, claws and pain. Many times he is drowned by a vile liquid that fills his mouth and whispers that he is nothing, that he is part of the Whole, that his reverence should be for Prime.

He sleeps only when he has to.

When they have filled the ship with everything she thinks they might need, they fly to Brightmoon. She-Ra and some of the other Princesses operate out of the palace and Entrapta wants to say goodbye. They do not know when they will be back.

Hordak does not want to speak to any of them, but he feels like an imbecile when Entrapta and Emily flounce down the dock like a pair of newborn foals. Reluctantly he follows. Entrapta squeals when she sees him behind her and flies back with a wide grin.

“Aw, come on, it’s not so bad. They’re not going to do anything to you.” She nudges him with a lock of hair. 

“Of course they’re not,” he snaps. Like they’d try to start anything. He’d be the one to finish it, that was certain. 

“Then what’re you worried about?”

“I’m not worried!”

“If you say so.” She shrugs.

He’s not worried. He’s not. There’s nothing he has to fear from any of the Princesses, not anymore. His old plans, his goals - they’re meaningless, now. Etheria was a world to conquer for Prime, a present he meant to gift so that his lord would see he was worthy. Those hopes are dust now. He will follow Entrapta to the stars because he doesn’t know who he is anymore, not really, and perhaps there is something out there that might help him understand what he has become. And he will follow her because he wants to, because the thought of going anywhere that she is not disturbs him in a way he doesn’t understand. 

They are just Princesses. Foolish little nymphs who managed to ruin his plans every step of the way. But Princesses nonetheless. There is nothing to cause concern.

The reassurance doesn’t stop the tension running down his back as they enter the palace. He feels about ready to reach for a weapon at the first provocation. He almost does when a voice shouts, “Entrapta!”

She-Ra and the Queen come bounding down the stairs like two colorful bursts of light. The girls crash into each other, giggling and talking loudly over one another in their excitement. Hordak stands by the door to the entrance and examines a particularly uninspired sculpture. 

“What’re you doing here?” says the Queen when they’ve finished shrieking at one another. 

"Well, I actually came to say goodbye.”

“What!”

“Goodbye?” She-Ra steps back, looking Entrapta over. Entrapta has fitted herself a new outfit (for whatever reason, she felt the need to craft a so-called, “Space Adventure Look”) that is black, white, and violet. It doesn’t look entirely dissimilar to Hordak’s new armor. 

“Hordak and I are gonna go explore the stars! And I wanted to come here because I don’t know when we’ll be back, and you’re my friends so I wanted to say goodbye properly. So you didn’t think I got kidnapped by another Horde or something.”

Hordak very much wishes she hadn’t brought him up because now the other two women are looking at him while Entrapta chatters happily about planets and wormholes. He shouldn’t have left the ship. Inevitably he was going to be a piece of conversation. 

“Entrapta,” She-Ra says when Entrapta pauses for breath. “Do you - you know - are you sure this is a good idea?”

“Whatcha mean?” Entrapta blinks in confusion. She-Ra flushes.

“Oh, nothing. Well, I just mean. You’ll be all alone out there, and I’m just worried about you.”

“Don’t be! I’m not gonna be alone; I have Hordak! He’s my bodyguard. Well, he’s also a scientist, but I made him promise he’ll take care of me if anything happens. We’re gonna be just fine, you’ll see.” She winks at Hordak. He grimaces, hoping a sudden earthquake might open up a chasm for him to fall into. One doesn’t. The Queen and She-Ra continue to stare with raised eyebrows.

“Well, you know,” says the Queen, “sometimes in the past you’ve been a bit… impulsive, and we just want to make sure you’ve thought this through.” The Queen touches Entrapta’s face, gently. A strange burst of what can only be (impossibly) jealousy lances through Hordak. Entrapta smiles and wraps her hair around the Queen.

“I have! Really. The thing is, you and Adora have lots keeping you here - Brightmoon and the Princesses and Bow and Catra. You have world-saving stuff to do. But I don’t really have anything like that. All I’ve ever wanted is to learn more, and this is the best way to do it!” She twirls suddenly, laughing with delight. “We’re gonna be space adventurers!”

“All right,” says She-Ra, laughing. “If that’s what you want then I’m totally down.”

“We’re going to miss you so much!” The Queen blinks sparkly, tear-filled eyes at Entrapta. Hordak has to look away, resisting the urge to cross his arms like a petulant child.

The conversation devolves into weepy, melodramatic declarations of love and friendship and this time Hordak does stalk away down the hall to glower at a potted plant. He nearly jumps out of his skin when Entrapta comes barreling into him, wrapping around him like a purple octopus. 

“We’re gonna go say bye to the others, do you wanna come?”

“No. Thank you,” he says firmly, detaching himself. “I will wait here.”

“Aw, sour puss,” she chides. He stares. Sour puss? This woman has no respect for him. “Fine, fine, I’ll be back in a bit, don’t leave without me!”

She dances off, cackling to herself. She, Emily, and the Queen race up the stairs, their laughter cascading down the hall in waves of noisy joy. He watches them go with a pang.

“Hey.” He glances at She-Ra, who has stayed behind. “Can I talk to you?”

He sighs, a strange twist of emotions fluttering through him. 

“If you must.”

She begins to walk and he follows her, unsure what else to do. They step outside into bright, shimmering light, morning clouds blooming over the mountains. It is all so very… pretty here. Hordak loathes it. Again he is glad that he and Entrapta are leaving this jewel-toned backwater bird’s nest. It has been far too long since he has seen the universe.

“Soooo,” says She-Ra, gesturing vaguely. “How are things?”

He gives her a Look. 

“Right.” She coughs. She tries again. “I like the new outfit. Did Entrapta...?”

“Yes.” 

“It’s nice.”

They walk slowly, not looking at one another.

“Where’d you find that ship? It’s really pretty.”

“Child, is there a point to this conversation?”

“It’s just…” She pauses and leans against a guardrail, staring out at the mountains. “Look, I know things aren’t like they used to be. None of us are the people we were before everything happened.” This, he thinks, is a bit of an understatement. “I know you’re not… evil. At least, I hope you’re not. But Entrapta - she’s a good person. She deserves friends who love her.” Not like you, she doesn’t say, but he feels the weight of the implication.

He smirks humorlessly. “‘If you hurt her, I’ll hurt you’ - is that what you mean?” 

“No. I guess, not exactly. What I’m saying is - I care about Entrapta, and I want her to be happy. That’s all.”

And she actually touches his arm, as though she has any right, as though they are friends. And he remembers that strange moment that passed between them, when she pulled him free from his shackles and killed the darkness inside him - a memory of her as an infant, small and fragile and entirely too breakable, a thing he wanted to protect - and his anger passes, leaving him empty. 

“That’s what I want as well.” 

“Good. Okay.” She takes a breath, relieving tension. “So, where do you think you’ll go?”

“We haven’t decided yet. But I have some ideas.”

“How about somewhere with good food? But only if it’s tiny.”

He grins. “She would like that.”

“Adora!” They look up. Catra leans over a balcony, and as they watch she vaults over the railing and jumps lithely to the walkway. She saunters over to Adora and wraps a possessive arm around her waist. “What’s he doing here?”

“He and Entrapta are leaving. Space adventure, apparently.”

“What!” she shrieks, tail puffing. “Leaving? To space? Where there are lots of innocent people hoping to not get murdered? Or have their planets taken over?”

“Catra. I didn’t know you cared.” He smirks as she hisses, eyes flashing.

“There will be no planet invading,” says She-Ra. There is a hint of her true self behind those words, her skin glowing with a faint gold tinge. “And no murdering of anybody.”

“I don’t think Hordak’s just going to _listen_ to you.” 

“He will if he knows what’s good for him. Besides, he listens to Entrapta. And Entrapta is also very much in the not-killing-people camp. And if we hear _anything_ about people getting hurt, anything like that, it’s not gonna end well for him. Is it?” She turns her steely gaze to him, and he is reminded that this woman had taken on armies, faced dictators and monsters and not backed down. A shiver runs down his spine, in spite of himself. 

Catra looks smug. Her arm around She-Ra tightens, her heterochromic eyes narrowing. 

“That’s right, Hordak. Better be careful.” Her sharp teeth glint in the sunlight.

Ridiculous child. As usual, she strikes in him both exasperation and fury. He decides to ignore her. 

“There will be no killing,” he says tightly. “Or _anything,_ as you say.”

“Glad to hear it.” She kisses Catra on the cheek. Catra’s tail deflates, ceasing its nervous whipping about. A soft pur emanates from her chest. 

“Come on, Adora. I thought you were taking me cave diving today.”

“Oh? Who told you that?” She-Ra’s voice is teasing. 

“Um, I’m pretty sure you were going on and on about that stupid crystal cave yesterday. Apparently I just _have_ to see it.”

“Hm. Doesn’t sound like me. Can’t imagine where you got that idea.”

“Adora. Quit being an idiot. You wouldn't shut up about it. Where’s this cave, anyway?”

“You know, I did hear about a cave. But you’re only allowed to go in if you tell your girlfriend you love her.”

“What? That’s not a thing. Don’t be stupid.”

“Come on, darlin’. Dontcha love me?”

“Gross. I’m not saying that in front of _him._ ”

“Ah, that’s too bad. I guess the cave won’t let you in, then.”

“Adora. You are ridiculous. Come on, you said it was really awesome and giant. I want to see the sparkly things!”  
  
“It’s too bad, really.” She-Ra sighs dramatically. “I guess I’ll just have to go to the love cave by myself.”

“Love cave?”  
  
“That’s right. The luuuuuuhvv cave. Come on, baby. Don’t you luuuuuuhvv me?”

“Adora! Adora, knock it off!” Catra bursts into high giggles entirely unbecoming of the warrior woman she portrays as She-Ra descends upon her with tickles and kisses. Hordak stares, appalled, as they flit away, laughing and dancing around one another.

“Guess you don’t get to go cave diving then!” comes She-Ra’s faint call.

“You are such an idiot!” Catra’s tumbling laughter fills the promenade. They twist around each other, dancing away. Hordak is reminded of a pair of birds, movements graceful and precise, all color and beauty.

“Ridiculous creatures,” he mutters, glowering. 

The spring breeze is warm, brushing through trees and over the sparkling water. He can smell summer on the air. It is all so pleasantly… insipid. Rolling his eyes, he goes to find Entrapta. 

It takes several more (lengthy) minutes where Entrapta cries over her many friends, but eventually he is able to drag her out of the stupid castle and back into the ship. Their ship. 

Entrapta takes one last long look at the scene outside. 

“I’m really glad you’re here with me.” Her face brightens as she looks at him.

“As am I.” He doesn’t mean to smile, but as so often happens with this strange woman, he finds he cannot help himself. She is this absurd ray of violet light cutting through all the shadows of his life. 

And then, finally, they are on the ship and Entrapta waves excitedly out the window as they careen into the sky, and then he can breathe because they are away, away, away.


	3. In Which Entrapta Does Not Locate A Particle Surger

“I can’t find it!”

“Entrapta, you brought enough nearly every tool in your laboratory. I’m sure it’s here somewhere. Did you look in the galley?”

“Of course I did! I looked everywhere! Even under my bed. Emily doesn’t know where it is either, and she knows  _ everything.” _

“I don’t believe that is accurate.”

“Can I look in your room? It might be there.”

“Why would it be there? I didn’t take it. What use do I have of a particle surger?”

“Maybe you thought it was yours. It looks a bit like your anion wrench. I wouldn’t be upset if you took it on accident. I do that all the time. Remember when I thought your dynomeasurer was mine, and then you got mad and told me  _ yours _ had a notch on the handle and I said, no,  _ mine _ has a notch on the handle, and then we both realized we were talking about the same thing? And it turned out to be yours! What if something like that happened?”

“Entrapta, I did not take your particle surger. In any case, it looks nothing like an anion wrench. They’re entirely different shapes.”

“They both have pointy ends! Aw, come on, Hordak, can I just take a quick look? I’ll be reeeeeal quick, I promise, and I won’t touch anything. Well, unless you have it in a box or your closet or something. Do you have a closet? It might be in there. Or maybe under your bed. I’ll just check super fast, you won’t even know I’ve been there.”

“That is entirely unnecessary. I did not take it."

“If I could just have a quick look-”

“No. It is not in my room. You are being ridiculous.”

“I won’t be mad if you have it! If I just scoot right past you-"

“Entrapta.”

“Hordak, you’re in the way. I’m not going to get my germs on anything. You don’t have to worry. I don’t have any bad diseases! At least, I don’t think I do. Anyway, even if I did, you probably have them already. We’ve been breathing the same air for three days. So it’s not gonna make a difference.”

“This conversation is pointless. You’re not going in my room.”

“What? Why not?”

“Because it’s  _ my _ room.”

“That’s not a reason. Come on, Hordak, I promise I won’t mess anything up. How come I can’t go in there? Are you hiding something? Do you have a super secret project? Ohmigosh, you  _ do _ have a super secret project! Can I see it? Is it amazing? What does it do? Can I use it?”

“Entrapta, would you cease-”

“Ooh, does it do something special? Does it-”

“I do not have any experiments in there - it’s my room. Where I sleep.”

“Well, I have experiments in  _ my _ room-”

“Is there any room besides mine in which you do  _ not  _ have some sort of research project?”

“... The bathroom?"

“I distinctly remember tripping over several test tubes full of some vile liquid that burned through my boot.”

“What about the broom closet! I definitely don’t have anything in - oh. Wait. No, nevermind.”

“If that’s settled, then…”

“No, it’s not settled! I  _ need _ my particle surger, Hordak! If it’s gone then I can’t work on my hydron wave particle visualizer, and if I can’t work on my hydron wave particle visualizer then I’ll never finish the kinematic collider, and if  _ that’s _ not done then we’re never going to be able to fly through a supernova, and if we can’t do that then why’re we even out here!”

“You want to… fly through a supernova?”

“Obviously! Think of all the data we’ll collect! Do you think anyone has gone through a supernova before? What if we’re the  _ first _ scientists to do it? Oh, can you imagine… But, we can’t do that if I don’t have my particle surger first, so move it, mister.”

“Entrapta. Why do you need  _ this _ particular tool? Do you have nothing else that will suffice?”

“Wellllll, I mean,  _ technically _ I could use the plasma converter and a monkey wrench and it’d get the job done. But it wouldn’t be as smooth and pretty, and my particle surger has the  _ perfect _ handle, and these little teeny tiny knobs that make these bitty clicking noises when you turn them, and I just need it, Hordak. Please, please, please can I look in your room?”

“Entrapta...”

“Please?”

“All right! All right. Just… don’t touch anything.”

“You’re the best - now,  _ excuse me _ .”

Entrapta explodes into the room with all the grace of a purple ostrich, oohing and ahhing over everything. A thump on her right signals a pile of tablets falling off a shelf.  _ Oops _ . Well, it isn’t  _ her _ fault the room is so small, anyway. 

To the extent that she’d ever imagined anything about Hordak’s personal space, she’d believed it would be stark and minimalist. However, the room is surprisingly busy, shelves cluttered with tools, crystals, spare parts, and glow stones that casts a cool phosphorescence over everything. There are precise mathematical etchings in chalk on the wall next to the bed, dozens of equations from floor to ceiling. A little robot bleeps at her from the bedside table. 

“Ooh! Who’s this!” She picks up the tiny hand-sized robot, exclaiming. 

“It’s a gift.”

“Aggift? That’s a weird name.”

“No. A  _ gift _ .”

“Oh.” She colors, feeling a bit silly. The little robot bleeps at her again, lights glittering on its interface. With its teeny tiny little arms it reaches out and bobs a lock of her hair, as though shaking hands. Entrapta’s heart grows about three sizes larger. 

“Who’s it for?”

Hordak makes a noise, surprising her. That was a laugh, she is certain of it. When was the last time she made him laugh? 

“It is for you, Entrapta.”

“Oh.” Her blush deepens. She looks pointedly away, torn between embarrassment, bafflement, and delight. The robot does a little pirouette on her hand and then zooms up her arm on tiny wheels, making her giggle. It lights up a bright blue, trilling, and buries itself in her hair. Her hair twists around, clearly enthused, and lets the robot slide down its locks. The petite thing threads through her tresses. A wide grin takes over her face, so intense she doesn’t think she’ll stop smiling for hours. She cannot remember anyone, ever, giving her a gift.

“This is really for me?”

“It is not yet finished. I have more work to do before it is ready. I meant to give it to you much later. So I will understand if you do not like it. I can start over if-”

“No! I like it. It’s amazing.”

“Are you sure? I know it’s not perfect…”

“Hordak.” She looks at him, grinning and so full of  _ something _ inside her chest, something as warm and heavy and as comfortable as a blanket. “Didn’t we already have a conversation about perfection?”

“Yes. I suppose…”

“Thank you, Hordak. Really. This is… I really, really like it.”

“I am glad.”

“Is this why you didn’t want me to come in your room?”

“Well, it wasn’t ready, and I had hoped to give it to you on a… more formal occasion.”

“Like a birthday?”

“What is that?”

“You don’t know whaaa - a birthday is the day you’re born. They celebrate that in some cultures. You know - cake, decorations, those little popper things. And presents. You give a present on a birthday.”

Hordak ponders this. “When is your… birth-day?”

“Oh, uh, sometime in spring. I think. Always forget. I have it written down somewhere, but there just never seems any point to celebrating, you know. Most of the time it’s just me and my bot friends. Although Emily does look really funny with one of those little party hats. And we’d make teeny tiny little cakes, with teensy candles. They were delicious. The cake, not the, uh, candles.”

“I would like to try this ritual sometime.”

“We could do it right now.”

“Oh. What do I need to do?”

“Here. Take this.” She hands him the robot, which trills quietly. “Now, hand it to me. And say: happy birthday, Entrapta.”

“Happy birthday, Entrapta.”

They let the robot buzz between their hands, little jolts of gentle electricity running through her fingers. It lights up blue, its interface displaying a pixelated firework. She laughs. 

Hordak grins back. She can see some of his old self in that expression, all passion and drive and boundless creativity. It would be nice, she thinks, to brush away the paleness of his skin, as though she might run a hand over his cheek and reveal his true self underneath. But they have both changed too much to go back to who they had once been. It is for the better, she thinks, not to live in the past. It has to be. 

“I’m gonna call you Janma. What do you think about that?” The robot runs up one arm and down the other. It flashes a brilliant purple, twirling on her arm.

“That means it loves it,” Hordak says. 

“I love it, too,” replies Entrapta, grinning at the robot. She does not notice Hordak’s hands tightening on hers as Janma buzzes and bleeps. 

Entrapta shouts and nearly tumbles over as the ship takes an abrupt lurch. There is a terrible sound from the aft that sounds very much like an explosion. She and Hordak glance at one another, suddenly alert. Another explosion comes - this time from the deck.

“We’re being fired upon.” Hordak is all severity now, gentle expression vanished. 

“What? Oh, crap. What do we do?” Entrapta has never been in a space battle before. At least, not one where  _ she’d _ had to do any of the firing. Most of her space battles involved being captured or crashing into things.

“Come.” He strides out of the room without a glance back, looking every bit the ship captain. While Entrapta might pull off the ‘space cadet’ look, no one is about to mistake her for some battle-hardened warrior. 

She stumbles as the ship rocks again. 

“Welp. First time for everything. Right, Janma?” The robot bleeps. She buries it in her hair where it nestles happily. “Here, you stay in there. Don’t want you to get smooshed.” 

She takes a breath, squares her shoulders, and hurries to join Hordak on the bridge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little bit o' fluff before we encounter some Plot! Neither Entrapta nor Hordak have ever had a birthday party.... No wonder these kids are such an emotional mess! jk but for real it's sad
> 
> 'Janma' is borrowed from the Hindi word for birthday, janmadin.

**Author's Note:**

> Will this be a romantic, leisurely tour through calm, beautiful star systems, or a break-neck escape from one dangerous situation to the next, with a heavy dose of Awkward Romantic Tension? I WONDER...


End file.
